Roddick takes comfort on grass court

By Clare Lovell

LONDON (Reuters) - Three-times former champion Andy Roddick put the dark days of clay behind him on Tuesday to record a confident 6-4 6-4 second-round victory over Radek Stepanek on the grass at Queen's.

The American second seed, ignominiously defeated in the first round of the French Open two weeks ago, delighted in the speed of the slick surface, hammering down 12 aces.

Stepanek, no slouch himself on grass having reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year, tried to serve and volley but often found himself stranded at the net by some fine Roddick passes.

The Czech dropped serve in the seventh game of the first set and the ninth of the second.

Roddick's match-winning game summed up the encounter. He won it to love with an ace, two serves that ricocheted uncontrollably off Stepanek's racket and a volley that the Czech could barely reach.

"This could be my favourite event," Roddick, 24, said. "It's easy to come back to a place where you have happy memories."

Top seed Rafael Nadal, who like Roddick enjoyed a bye to the second round, had his first taste of grass, playing doubles in warm sunshine with fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.

They lost 6-3 7-6 to Jeff Coetzee and Rogier Wassen but the world number two looked relaxed and moved well despite the exertions of the last fortnight and his French Open triumph.